Andrew Doyle (Wicklow, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I have a point I want to make on that. First, I thank the witnesses for attending. In the context of the steps they are trying to take, all members here have a concern that justice is seen to be done. That is what we are looking for. If we can assist in that, we are willing to do so. This is a public forum where the people affected have an opportunity to present their cases before the Houses of Parliament and to put matters on the public record. We must be careful that what we say here, we mean.
While I tend to agree with the last point that was made, it strikes me that in many ways this is a National Parks and Wildlife Service problem for which agriculture is being asked, possibly, to compensate. I note that Mr. Fitzgerald is quoted inThe Corkmanas saying that in 2007 the Irish Government was given €528 million which was ringfenced for natural amenities such as natural heritage areas, special areas of conservation and special protection areas, but only €93 million of the money was applied to these areas and not 1 cent went to the hen harrier scheme. If that was the case, my understanding is that it is a matter for the Department of Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht as opposed to the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine.
When we looked at commonages more than 18 months ago, one presentation made to us was from the BurrenLIFE project. The end product there was species-rich grassland in the same way that other farmers' product is milk or beef. In respect of the matter before us, the end product is a healthy hen harrier population. It seems then that a BurrenLIFE type scheme would compensate farmers on the basis of the number of years a scheme must remain in place and deal with a lot of the problems. I may be wrong. We should get officials from the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine and the Department of Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht to come here on foot of the presentation made here today. We have been given a great deal of information of which I, certainly, was not aware on the historical situation, where we are now and where we should be going.

This is not over yet by any means. We have a role to play. As a farmer, it would appear to me that what has been does is an injustice. It is unfair. Much has been said about the Common Agricultural Policy, CAP, and Rural Development Programme. Under future CAP programmes public good is an important factor. As such, this issue also crosses over into the CAP. We will need to examine the rural development programme from the point of view of the agricultural aspect of this and to also look at other areas such as the Department of Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht that might have responsibility for this area.